Aidan O'Brien has plenty of ammunition in his juvenile armoury and Black Bear Island added to his firepower when running away with the Coolmore Aussie Rules EBF Maiden.
A full-brother to High Chaparral, the Sadler's Wells colt was always travelling sweetly up front along with Quiet Ocean and began to take command with two furlongs to run.
Johnny Murtagh, who went on to a treble, only had to give the 2-7 favourite one crack and he bounded clear to beat Dreamtheimpossible by four lengths in the style of a smart sort.< Like Magic stepped up on the promise of his Fairyhouse maiden victory a fortnight ago to run out a comprehensive winner of the Panoramic Restaurant Auction Race.
The Patrick Martin-trained juvenile (7-1) was quickly into his stride under Pat Smullen and led the way in company with the odds-on Vilasol < What's Up Pussycat joined them with two furlongs to run and after they settled down for a battle, Vilasol was the first to crack, with Like Magic asserting in the final 150 yards to win by two lengths.< Harriers Call (11-4) defied a 6lb rise for finishing second at Fairyhouse with an emphatic victory in the six-furlong Naas Handicap.
Johnny Murtagh settled the John Hayden-trained filly close to the pace and produced her to challenge long-time leader Option Be in the final furlong. She got on top late on to score by half a length.
Murtagh's treble was completed when Michael Halford's Festival Princess (2-1), who beat one home in the Irish Oaks last time, enjoyed the drop in class to take the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden easily.< Cool Running was turned out quickly after his sixth-place finish in the Galway Plate and the move paid off as he landed the Thoroughbred County Hurdle with some authority.< Pied Piper Man held a 20-length advantage at one stage but was caught at the second-last by Cool Running, who had always been at the head of the chasing bunch under Alan Crowe.
Christy Roche's gelding (100-30 favourite) took charge between the last two flights and was not hard pressed to hold
© www.irish-racing.com
